Appraising Performance

Human resources management is a very complex matter in a domestic environment, but it is even worse in an international environment, due to the cultural and business variables. It is very difficult to measure the performance of an employee in one country in order to determine if they can apply for promotions back to headquarters in another country (Schuler et al., 2002).

The performance appraisal is concentrated in letting the employees know the performance standards and the performance appraisal process. Employees need to understand how the management views their work with the organization in order to identify their weaknesses and strengths, improve their job-related behavior, and provide information about workforce planning. There are several approaches in performance appraisal including rating scales, comparison methods, job result management systems, and outcome oriented methods (Nankervis, Compton & McCarthy, 1996).

Assignments require several job performance dimensions, and in the case of expatriate assignments, the multinational enterprises need to evaluate dimensions of performance such as cross-cultural interpersonal qualities (sensitivity to foreign norms, laws, and customs), adaptability to uncertain and unpredictable conditions, and the host location's integration with other multinational enterprises units. The relevance of these factors is going to depend on the type of expatriate (Shuler et al., 2002). Other challenges to performance appraisal in the international scene are more focalized to the appropriate assessment of technical competence and the financial aspects of the assignment, which need to be direct to the unique characteristic of the environment (Dowling et al., 1994).

It seems that the appraisal of the performance of managers becomes an important part of the inter-unit linkage level of international human resource management. Therefore, it is necessary to concentrate in the development of a standard appraisal format that recognizes and makes situational differences legitimate in order to track, evaluate, and compare the contributions of managers around the world. This standardized information can provide a better guide for managerial career development, and future promotion decisions (Shuler et al., 2002). Performance Appraisal Article